Leo Beakeland (1863 - 1944), a Belgian who had moved to America, was the
inventor of Bakelite. Made by the condensation of phenol and
formaldehyde in the presence of a catalyst and used for everything from tools and telephones to
jewelry, "Bakelite" is frequently used as a generic name for all phenol
formaldehyde, including Catalin and Marblette, which came later and in a
wider range of colors. Bakelite is a thermoset plastic, meaning that
once cast or molded and hardened, it will not melt, burn, boil, or dissolve.
It could only be worked by carving, sawing, tumbling, painting and gluing.

Bakelite jewelry was at it's zenith from the late 1920s till the
start of WWII in 1942. The lack of money and need for inexpensive fun during
the Depression era of the 1930s gave the whimsy, colorful and cheerful look
of bakelite jewelry the perfect market. The sophisticated Deco and machine
age look of some of the pieces made them fashion-forward.

Bakelite had a renaissance in the 1980s. It was featured on the cover
of "Connoisseur" Magazine in July of 1985, and in 1987 when the famous
artist Andy Warhol passed away, his huge collection of bakelite jewelry went
up for sale at Sotheby's Auctions and fetched record prices.

BAKELITE IDENTIFICATION
Sound, Smell, TestingOnce you have handled a good bit of bakelite, the feel alone will
often tell you it is not plastic. It tends to be heavier, make a
"clunking" sound when tapped together, and it usually has readily identifiable
colors. If rubbed vigorously with your thumb until it becomes warm, it
also has a distinctive smell. To further determine a bakelite piece, you can use a polish
called Simichrome, which comes out of the tube light pink in color.
Squeeze a cap-sized amount on a white cloth and rub the piece of
bakelite. If it turns a mustard yellow, you have a positive test. A
brownish-yellow result which may be dirt, so clean the piece and try
again. Using a hot pin to test bakelite may leave a pin-prick which,
however small, is damaging and has a negative effect on price so is not
recommended.

Clean crisp carving with a design that can be seen easily
from the front is a sign of quality. This style of bracelet is being
reproduced and so far, the repros I have seen are cloudy instead of clear
like these.

These are sometimes called "stretchies" because they are
strung on elastic.

BAKELITE reverse carved
stretchy bracelet, green and apple juice with square center, 6" by 1-1/4"
front by 1" back, a few tiny smooth flea bites at edges. This bracelet
was featured in the October 2001
"Victoria Magazine".
ViewView #B32506

BAKELITE Royal Dynasty 17
jewel butterscotch hinged bangle wrist watch, keeps good time, 6-1/3"
around the inside, 1-1/8" wide at the front and 1" wide at the back. The
face is a milk-chocolate brown with white hands, and it is hinged on the
back and opens on the side for ease of wearing. See Grasso's
"Bakelite Jewelry" page 50.
ViewView #B16583

MAIDEN's or CHILD's BANGLESThe standard bangle is 2-1/2" in diameter, but I
collect these smaller 2-1/8" to 2-1/4"
diameter bakelite bangles because they are just my size, and I am always
in the market for them.

SPACERS... I am
always looking for the small 2-1/4" diameter bangles to buy... especially the
chunky or the well-carved ones like these. Each is 2-1/4" by 1/4" by
1/4".
View
View #B16686

Gold overlay is hard to find in any size, especially in good condition.

CONTEMPORARY BAKELITE JEWELRY MAKER-
SHULTZ
The Shultzs use vintage bakelite and by carving, cutting, inlaying,
gluing and polishing, they create new designs of old pieces. Their work
is collectible in it's own right, and is usually signed.
To learn more about Shultz Bakelite, click
HERE.

NEW "BAKELITE" CARVED
& CHECKED BANGLES
Often called "fakelite"These are contemporary pieces made of a slightly
different formula than the vintage bakelite and hand carved in the
orient or made in Europe. They are chunky bangles and can be fun to mix with older bakelite.
Some are meant to fool the public into
thinking they are vintage, so they should not command prices as high as
vintage pieces. Some of them do have lovely
caving and colors, but some are a bit awkward and there is often an
almost gummy
feel to them with rounded edges in the carving and sloppy joints. There are also many new
dotted bangles and figural brooches currently being imported from France
and Asia as well. Most but not all will not test positive using the Simichrome test.
These are NOT the same quality or desirability and contemporary artists
like Shultz and Pantti.

NEW BAKELITE heavily
carved bangle from the Orient, inexpensive and fun to wear.
#B24324

NEW BAKELITE heavily
carved bangle from the Orient, inexpensive and fun to wear.
#B24322

NEW BAKELITE
heavily carved purple bangle from the Orient, inexpensive and fun to wear.
#B23014

NEW
BAKELITE heavily carved bangle from the Orient, inexpensive and fun to
wear. #B23018

NEW
BAKELITE heavily carved bangle from the Orient, inexpensive and fun to
wear. #B23019

NEW BAKELITE heavily carved
bangle from the Orient, inexpensive and fun to wear. #B23016

PLEASE NOTE:Regretfully, it
is no longer possible to respond to individual questions regarding
jewelry history, identification or value, or to offer written or verbal
appraisals or opinions. The demand for this kind of information is
absolutely too overwhelming for one dealer to fill.
I love jewelry, but appraising and selling are two
entirely different businesses, and I choose selling and research as my
business.
Instead, articles are added on a regular basis to JEWEL CHAT on line Magazine, a
wonderful reference for information on many makers and styles of
vintage jewelry.
For information on valuing your jewelry, click
HERE.